Richard Steele

Steele, Richard, Sir, 1672-1729Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.9

Word count: 780K words
Chapters: 78

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971, and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Richard Steele by Sir Richard Steele. Author: Steele, Richard, Sir, 1672-1729. Language: English. Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature. Release Date: Nov 9, 2017.

Editor's review

This book is an electronic text of Richard Steele's works collected by Project Gutenberg. Steele was an eighteenth-century English essayist and playwright who, with Addison, co-founded The Tatler and The Spectator, shaping the tastes and moral imagination of the middle class through elegant, accessible essays. This electronic edition gives readers direct access to his English originals, making it first-hand material for studying eighteenth-century English prose, periodical literature, and Enlightenment social manners. Its value lies not in tense plotting but in the presentation of language style and period context: polished sentences, a gentle tone, and a talent for conveying moral instruction through character sketches and everyday topics. It suits as supplementary reading for English literary history courses or for readers interested in the periodical essay form who wish to read slowly. Note that this is an English-language original electronic text based on public-domain compilation, with plain formatting and minimal annotation.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English literature students needing eighteenth-century prose originals for coursework
Readers interested in the periodical essay form who want to understand the style of The Spectator era
Scholars studying Enlightenment English social manners and moral discourse
Advanced readers wanting English originals of public-domain classics for close reading practice

Not a good fit for

Beginners needing Chinese translations or detailed annotation
General fiction readers who prefer strong plotting and reading pleasure
Lower-level English learners unfamiliar with seventeenth- and eighteenth-century English usage

Reading tips

Read one complete essay first, marking long sentences and period expressions, then consult background material
Read with awareness of Addison and Steele's periodical context to understand the social function of the periodical essay
Read in thematic groups and compare his character sketches with moral commentary
Read only one or two pieces per session and take notes to avoid language fatigue from continuous reading

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English?

According to the data, it is an English electronic text released by Project Gutenberg, with language marked as English. There is no Chinese translation or bilingual layout, so readers need some English reading ability, especially adaptation to eighteenth-century English expression.

What background knowledge is needed before reading?

It helps to know the basics of eighteenth-century English periodical literature, especially Steele's co-founding of The Tatler and The Spectator with Addison. Knowing that periodical essays combined instruction with entertainment and often depicted people of various social classes makes their intent and tone easier to understand.

Is it better read cover to cover or selectively?

Selective and slow reading suits it better. Steele's works are mostly essays that stand relatively independently, so readers can choose by theme or interest. Continuous reading can cause fatigue because of the language's age; read one or two pieces per session with background material to understand period context and stylistic features.

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About the author

Steele, Richard, Sir, 1672-1729 Author

Sir Richard Steele (1672–1729) was an English essayist and playwright, and, together with Joseph Addison, a leading figure of the early eighteenth-century periodical essay. This collection holds 13 of his works, including volumes 1 and 2 of The Tatler, volumes 1 to 3 of The Spectator, and the De Coverley papers built around the fictional country gentleman Sir Roger de Coverley. Written in an easy, conversational essay style, these pieces discuss manners, fashion, morality and everyday life, combining gentle instruction with humour. They became a model of English periodical writing and deeply influenced later essays and moral journals. Because public information is limited, biographical details are omitted here; readers may best come to know his writing through the works listed above.